Prop 1 would put $4 billion towards creating affordable housing for veterans, farmworkers, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income Californians. It allows the state to sell $4 billion in bonds to fund affordable housing programs, which will be repaid over 35 years at a cost of about $170 million a year. Proponents of Prop 1 say it will help address California’s housing crisis by creating more affordable housing for people who desperately need it, without raising taxes.

Many people struggling with mental illness who are homeless or at risk for chronic homelessness are not getting the support they need to heal. Prop 2 would help people get off the streets and connect them with mental health and addiction treatment. $2 billion in bonds would be issued to fund housing for people dealing with mental illness and homelessness, and Prop 2 would allow the state to use existing mental health funding to repay the bonds.

California’s water crisis will continue to grow as the impacts of climate change increase. Water quality and sustainability for California residents, farms, businesses, and ecosystems is at risk. Prop 3 will address some of these impacts by funding water-related infrastructure and environmental projects with $8.8 billion in bonds, however, it was put on the ballot by corporate agriculture interests who will receive most of the benefits. It’s important to note that there is $750 million included to provide clean water to marginalized communities that desperately need it. Allies we trust are divided on Prop 3.

Prop 4 would provide $1.5 billion to build, expand, renovate, and equip children’s hospitals in California. California’s regional children’s hospitals treat children with serious diseases, regardless of their family’s ability to pay. Prop 4 would expand their capacity to save children’s lives. The $1.5 billion bond that funds this initiative would be repaid by the state at about $80 million per year over 35 years.

Prop 5 proponents claim it would help homeowners over 55 who need to move but cannot afford to buy a new home because it will increase their property taxes. But Prop 5 also takes $1 billion a year away from schools, fire departments, police departments, and other essential services provided by local governments. Prop 5 is being pushed by the same wealthy real estate interests behind the disastrous Prop 13, which has crippled the state’s ability to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy, while resulting in increased taxes on low-income families. Prop 5 would be a massive giveaway to the wealthy and real estate interests, while failing to help provide affordable housing in any significant way.

Prop 6 takes $5 billion away from highway and road maintenance and public transportation programs by eliminating taxes on gas and vehicles recently passed by the legislature. It would also reduce incentives for more efficient and electric cars by lowering the cost of gasoline, at a time when California is facing the increasing impact of climate change. Associations of firefighters, highway patrol officers, and civil engineers have urged voters to vote against the bill because it would undermine the safety of roads and bridges.

Prop 7 would allow California’s legislature to eliminate the twice yearly switch between standard time and daylight savings time -- if the Legislature approves it with a 2/3 vote and the federal government approves the change. Proponents cite medical and economic research showing negative effects on health and productivity from biannual time changes. Opponents point to the fact that the sun would rise at a later time in the winter, meaning some children would be walking to school in the dark.

Large corporations are making big profits overcharging their patients for dialysis, while failing to invest in proper sanitation and care. Prop 8 would limit how much dialysis clinics can charge their patients. It would also prevent them from discriminating against people with Medi-Cal, Medicare, or Medicaid (the dialysis companies make much greater profits from patients with private insurance, and therefore have an incentive to discriminate).

Prop 10 would allow local communities to pass rent control laws that limit the amount landlords can increase the rent each year. Currently, state law significantly limits what local communities can do to control rent. Prop 10 would be a critical step in addressing the affordable housing crisis, gentrification, and displacement. It would help keep renters in their homes and their communities, rather than being pushed out of their communities or becoming homeless.

Prop 11 is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It is funded by a private ambulance company that aims to avoid paying penalties for meal and rest break violations. While purporting to be about protecting public safety, it actually strips first responders of their right to meal and rest breaks, which makes their jobs more grueling and makes us all less safe. The measure would allow private ambulance companies to require their employees to stay on call during meal and rest breaks, unlike other workers. The union representing ambulance workers agrees that it may be necessary to require ambulance workers to monitor communication during their breaks and to respond to emergency calls, but it opposes Prop 11.

Prop 12 would establish minimum space requirements for confining hens, pigs, and calves raised for veal. It would also prohibit the sale of eggs and meat that do not meet these requirements. Proponents say it would improve cruel farming practices and help protect food safety, while providing farms with a phased-in approach until 2022. Progressive opponents say the while the initiative makes hens free of cages, the animals would still be in cramped spaces on factory farms, and that there is really no such thing as humane meat.

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